Mounting assembly for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A mounting assembly a vehicle includes a lateral support member having a first end connected to a first front suspension and a second end connected to a second front suspension, a length of the lateral support member being adjustable. The mounting assembly further includes a longitudinal support member having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being attached to a rear portion of the vehicle, a portion of the longitudinal support member between the front end and the rear end being attached to the lateral support member. The length of the lateral support member adjusts with independent movement of any one of the first front suspension and to the second front suspension relative to each other.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to accessory mounting systems for vehicles, and more particularly, to a mounting assembly for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles such as all terrain vehicles, tractors, riding lawn mowers, small trucks, and other similar vehicles can be provided with accessories that allow such vehicles to provide additional functions. Such accessories may include a snow plow, a scoop for loading and unloading materials, forklift, or a power brush. Because these accessories require support by a vehicle, a mounting system is required to be attached to the vehicle to accommodate any one of the noted accessories.

Typical mounting systems for vehicles include a longitudinal beam and a shorter lateral beam that are attached together to form a cross-like structure. The rear end of the longitudinal beam can be attached to a rear part of the vehicle and is typically attached to a hitch on the back end of the vehicle. The front end of the longitudinal beam is configured to allow mounting of an accessory thereto. The ends of the lateral beam can be connected to the front suspension of the vehicle. Accordingly, the lateral support beam and the rear end of the longitudinal beam attach to the vehicle, while an accessory can be attached to the front end of the longitudinal beam. This arrangement, and in particular the attachment of the rear end of the longitudinal beam to a hitch at the back end of the vehicle, transfers the loads exerted on the vehicle by the accessory to the rear suspension of the vehicle.

A drawback to such mounting systems for vehicles having independent front suspension is that by attaching the lateral beam to the vehicle as described above, the front suspension of the vehicle becomes inoperative. Because any travel of the front suspension changes the distance between the left and right front suspensions, attachment of the lateral beam does not allow the distance to change, thereby locking the front suspension. U.S. Patent Publication 2004/0187358 provides a leaf spring structure for the lateral beam to thereby allow the ends of the leaf spring, i.e., the ends of the lateral beam, to independently travel with the front suspension. However, a leaf spring as a replacement for the lateral beam has several drawbacks. One drawback is that the leaf spring has to bend to adjust in length. Because a force is required to bend the leaf spring, the bending of the leaf spring will affect the performance of the front suspension. Another drawback is that the accessory will change height according to the bending of the leaf spring. Yet another drawback is that the leaf spring cannot be locked to prevent bending thereof in situations where such locking is necessitated by heavy loads carried by the vehicle.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a vehicle mounting system or assembly that can provide front suspension travel without affecting the performance of the suspension while an accessory is attached to the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. However, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle having attached thereto a mounting assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a mounting assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the operation of the mounting assembly of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting and understanding the principles disclosed herein, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications are the principles disclosed as illustrated therein as being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure relates.

In accordance with one principal aspect of the present disclosure, a mounting assembly for a vehicle includes a lateral support member having a first end connected to a first front suspension and a second end connected to a second front suspension, a length of the lateral support member being adjustable. The mounting assembly further includes a longitudinal support member having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being attached to a rear portion of the vehicle, a portion of the longitudinal support member between the front end and the rear end being attached to the lateral support member. The length of the lateral support member adjusts with independent movement of any one of the first front suspension and to the second front suspension relative to each other.

In accordance with another principal aspect of the present disclosure, a mounting assembly for a vehicle includes a lateral support member including a tube configured to slidably house a rod, the tube having a tube end connected to a first front suspension, and the rod having a rod end connected to a second front suspension. The mounting assembly further includes a longitudinal support member having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being attached to a rear portion of the vehicle, a portion of the longitudinal support member between the front end and the rear end being attached to the tube. The rod slidably moves in the tube with independent movement of any one of the first front suspension and to the second front suspension relative to each other.

In accordance with another principal aspect of the present disclosure, a lateral support member for a mounting assembly having a longitudinal support member mounted underneath the vehicle and attached to the lateral support member and the vehicle having independent front suspension includes a first end connected to the first front suspension, a second end connected to the second front suspension, and a length defined by a distance between the first end and the second end, the length being adjustable. The length adjusts with movement of any one of the first front suspension and the second front suspension.

Referring to FIG. 1, 20 having a mounting assembly 22 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure is shown. The mounting assembly 22 includes a longitudinal support member 24 having a front end 26 and a rear end 28. The rear end 28 can be attached to a rear portion of the vehicle 20. The mounting assembly 22 further includes a lateral support member 30 having a first end 32 and second end 34. The lateral support member 30 is connected to the longitudinal support member 24 near a front portion of the longitudinal support member 24. The first end 32 is connected to a first front suspension 36 of the vehicle 20, and the second end 34 is connected to the second front suspension 38 of the vehicle 20. Therefore, the entire mounting assembly 22 is attached to the vehicle 20 by the first end 32 and the second end 34 of the lateral support member 30 and the rear end 28 of the longitudinal support member 24. The distance between the first front suspension 36 and the second front suspension 38 may change as the first front suspension 36 moves independently relative to the second front suspension 38 during the operation of the vehicle 20. Accordingly, to provide operability of the front suspension of the vehicle 20 with the mounting assembly 22 attached thereto, the length L1 of the lateral support member 30 can vary during the operation of the vehicle

When the mounting assembly 22 is attached to the vehicle 20, the front end 26 can be positioned near the front portion of the vehicle 20. Accordingly, the front end 26 can receive any one of a number of functional attachments for particular operations of the vehicle. For example, the attachment can be a dump bucket, a forklift, a plow, or simply a scrapping blade. As shown in FIG. 1, the rear end 20 is attached to a rear portion of the vehicle 20, and in particular, it is shown as attached to a rear hitch 39 of the vehicle 20. However, the read end 20 can be attached to any rear portion of the vehicle 20 as long as during operation of the vehicle 20, a down force is provided on the rear suspension. Although throughout the present disclosure a general vehicle 20 is referenced, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the mounting assembly 22 can be attached to any type of vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mounting assembly 22 is shown in greater detail. The longitudinal support member 24 includes a beam 40 that is supported by and slides in a channel 42. The beam 40 and the channel 42 have complementary cross sectional size and shape, so as to frictionally slide relative to each other. To provide for attachment of the mounting assembly 22 to a variety of vehicles having different lengths, the beam 40 can slide in and out of the channel 42 to effectively increase or decrease the length L2 of the longitudinal support member 24. To lock the longitudinal support member 24 at a desired length, the longitudinal support member 24 includes two length adjustment mechanisms 44 that in affect secure the beam 40 to the channel 42. The length adjustment mechanism 44 includes slots 46 disposed on the channel 42 that can align with apertures (not shown) on the beam 40. Accordingly, when the beam 40 is slid relative to the channel 42, the apertures will be exposed to the outside of the channel 42 through the slots 46. Bolts 48 can engage the apertures from outside of the slots 46 and tightened so as to secure the beam 40 to the channel 42 and prevent any movement of the beam 40 relative to the channel 42.

The lateral support member 30 includes a tube 60 and a rod 62. The rod 62 is partially housed in the tube 60 and can slide relative to the tube 60. The tube 60 is attached to the beam 40 by a pair of C-clamps 64 that are secured to a support plate 68 by fasteners 70. The length L1 is adjustable by the rod 62 simply sliding in and out of the tube 60. Although the rod 62 and the tube 60 are shown to be circular in cross section, any cross sectional shape for the tube 60 and the rod 62 can be used as long as it provides the above described length adjustability. Therefore, when the first end 32 is connected to the first front suspension 36 and the second end 34 is connected to the second front suspension 38, any movement of the first suspension 36 and the second suspension 38 may cause the rod 62 and the tube 60 to slide relative to each other to compensate for the change in the distance between the first end 32 and the second end 34.

Referring to FIG. 3, a frontal diagram of the vehicle 20 is shown to illustrate the operation of the mounting assembly 22. When the wheels 70 and 72 of the vehicle 20 travel over uneven terrain, the first suspension 36 and the second suspension 38 provide controlled and dampened movement of the wheel 70 and 72 with respect to the frame 74 of the vehicle 20. Accordingly, the first end 32 and the second end 34 of the lateral support member 34 move angularly with the wheels 70 and 72, respectively, as illustrated by the arrows 76 and 78. The noted angular movement of the first end 32 and the second end 34 causes the distance between the first end 32 and the second end 34 to decrease or increase depending on the downward or the upward motion of the wheels 70 and 72, respectively. When the wheels 70 and 72 are moving upward as illustrated by arrows 76, the distance between the first end 32 and the second end 34 increases causing the rod 62 to slide out of the tube 60 to compensate for the increased length L1. In contrast when the wheels 70 and 72 are moving downward as illustrated by the arrows 78, the first end 32 and second end 34 approach each other causing the length L1 to reduce. Therefore, the disclosed mounting assembly 22 compensates for the change in distance between the suspension connection points, i.e. the first end 32 and the second end 34, by adjusting the length L1 of the lateral support member 30.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a mechanism for locking the length adjustability of the lateral support member 30 is shown. The locking of the lateral support member 30 may be necessary when the vehicle 20 is under heavy load. The rod 62 can include a number of spaced apart apertures 80 that correspond with one or more pairs of apertures 82 in the tube 60. The space between the apertures 80 defines the increment by which the length of the lateral support member 30 can be adjusted. Accordingly, the more apertures 80 that are available on the rod 62, the closer together the apertures 80 will be, and therefore, the length of the lateral support member 30 can be adjusted by finer increments. To lock the length adjustability of the lateral support member 30, any one of the apertures 80 of the rod 62 can be aligned with the aperture 82 of the tube 60. A pin or a bolt 84 can then be inserted from outside the tube 60 into the aligned apertures 80 and 82 through to lock the rod 62 from movement relative to the tube 60. In FIG. 3, a pin 84 is shown inserted in the apertures 80 and 82 and secured by a cotter pin 83.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of the disclosure. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the disclosure is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the related art. 

1. A mounting assembly for a vehicle, the mounting assembly comprising: a lateral support member having a first end connected to a first front suspension and a second end connected to a second front suspension, a length of the lateral support member being adjustable; a longitudinal support member having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being attached to a rear portion of the vehicle, a portion of the longitudinal support member between the front end and the rear end being attached to the lateral support member; and wherein the length of the lateral support member adjusts with independent movement of any one of the first front suspension and to the second front suspension relative to each other.
 2. The mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a lock operable between a locked position wherein the length of the lateral support member is not adjustable and an unlocked position wherein the length of the lateral support member is adjustable.
 3. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the lateral support member comprises a tube and at least one rod, a portion of the rod being slidably housed in the tube to provide length adjustability of the lateral support member.
 4. The mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the tube includes a plurality of apertures and the portion of the rod housed in the tube includes a plurality of apertures, wherein slidable movement of the rod in the tube aligns the apertures of the tube with the apertures of the rod, and wherein the rod can be locked to the tube with a locking pin inserted in the aligned apertures of the tube and the rod.
 5. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal support member is attached to the lateral support member with fasteners.
 6. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear end of the longitudinal support member is attached to a hitch at the rear of the vehicle.
 7. A mounting assembly for a vehicle, the mounting assembly comprising: a lateral support member including a tube configured to slidably house a rod, the tube having a tube end connected to a first front suspension, and the rod having a rod end connected to a second front suspension; a longitudinal support member having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being attached to a rear portion of the vehicle, a portion of the longitudinal support member between the front end and the rear end being attached to the tube; and wherein the rod slidably moves in the tube with independent movement of any one of the first front suspension and to the second front suspension relative to each other.
 8. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the tube includes a plurality of apertures and the portion of the rod housed in the tube includes a plurality of apertures, wherein slidable movement of the rod in the tube aligns the apertures of the tube with the apertures of the rod, and wherein the rod can be locked to the tube with a locking pin inserted in the aligned apertures of the tube and the rod.
 9. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal support member is attached to the tube with fasteners.
 10. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the rear end of the longitudinal support member is attached to a hitch at the rear of the vehicle.
 11. A lateral support member for a mounting assembly for a vehicle having a first front suspension and second front suspension independent from the first front suspension, and the mounting assembly having a longitudinal support member mounted underneath the vehicle and attached to the lateral support member, the lateral support member comprising: a first end connected to the first front suspension; a second end connected to the second front suspension; a length defined by a distance between the first end and the second end, the length being adjustable; and wherein the length adjusts with movement of any one of the first front suspension and the second front suspension.
 12. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein the tube includes a plurality of apertures and the portion of the rod housed in the tube includes a plurality of apertures, wherein slidable movement of the rod in the tube aligns the apertures of the tube with the apertures of the rod, and wherein the rod can be locked to the tube with a locking pin inserted in the aligned apertures of the tube and the rod.
 13. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein the longitudinal support member is attached to the tube with fasteners.
 14. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein the rear end of the longitudinal support member is attached to a hitch at the rear of the vehicle. 